9:17 PM,
Apr. 20, 2014

Sgt. Timothy Gilboe shows the armor plate that saved him as he wrestled an AK47 away from the insurgent who shot him in Afghanistan.

Written by

Joe Gould
Military Times

A former Fort Polk soldier brought one heck of a souvenir home from Afghanistan.

Sgt. Timothy Gilboe was given an armor plate three years after it saved his life when he charged an AK47-toting insurgent and was shot point-blank in the belly. Gilboe defeated the gunman bare-handed, protecting his squad.

Gilboe, who was awarded the Silver Star in 2012 for his heroics, was given the armor plate by the acquisition office for soldier equipment at a ceremony on April 18 at a Portland, Maine, Veterans of Foreign Wars post. ...